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I Had Depression/ Anxiety For 16 Years. About Ten Years
Question: I had depression/anxiety for 16 years. About ten years ago, it was more or less 'a head thing.' But then it progressed to a 'fully body thing.' What does that mean? It means now I can literally go to bed for 12 or 20 hours, or even 30 or 36 hours, and I will sleep 95% of the time. About five years ago, when this wasn't quite as severe, I went to the doctor's for a fully medical check expecting something to be seriously wrong with my body, an organ or thyroid, or something else in fact. But all the results came back negative and they said that I was okay. I truly don't think I'm okay. I'm suffering from moderate-severe depression, and yes, there is some stage where the depression seriously affects the stamina of the body. Obviously, this must be 'a chemical thing.' But what is it? I truly don't think that the medical community has found out. The typical doctor will just say, "Oh, you have a significant amount of depression and it affects your body." But that's rubbish and circuitous reasoning in my opinion. There should be a 'chemical reason' and it should be capable of being fixed or ameliorated. (I'm taking 20 m.g. of Lexapro and another drug for an undiagnosed mood disorder).
I had depression/anxiety for 16 years. About ten years ago, it was more or less 'a head thing.' But then it progressed to a 'fully body thing.' What does that mean? It means now I can literally go to bed for 12 or 20 hours, or even 30 or 36 hours, and I will sleep 95% of the time. About five years ago, when this wasn't quite as severe, I went to the doctor's for a fully medical check expecting something to be seriously wrong with my body, an organ or thyroid, or something else in fact. But all the results came back negative and they said that I was okay. I truly don't think I'm okay. I'm suffering from moderate-severe depression, and yes, there is some stage where the depression seriously affects the stamina of the body. Obviously, this must be 'a chemical thing.' But what is it? I truly don't think that the medical community has found out. The typical doctor will just say, "Oh, you have a significant amount of depression and it affects your body." But that's rubbish and circuitous reasoning in my opinion. There should be a 'chemical reason' and it should be capable of being fixed or ameliorated. (I'm taking 20 m.g. of Lexapro and another drug for an undiagnosed mood disorder).
Brief Answer:
The cause of hypersomnia are numerous
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question Kevinmarley. Hope I can be of help for you today. Excessive sleepiness can be a sign of several different medical issues.
For adult sleep guidelines we allow 7 to 9 hours. You sleep for 12 to 36 hours and sleep 95 % of the time that is so long sleeping. Long sleeping or oversleeping called hypersomnia. The cause of hypersomnia are numerous, and multiple factors may contribute to any one patient. Some of the most common causes of hypersomnia are insufficient sleep, depression, medications, and also from medical and psychiatric disorders. Obstructive sleep apnea is common and treatable but sometimes you dont know yourself, the history of it is known only from someone who can hear you sleeping. Hypersomnias of central origin such as narcolepsy should also be considered but sometimes unknown. Narcolepsy the exact cause is unknown. But narcolepsy can have low levels of the chemical hypocretin. Hypocretin is an important neurochemical in your brain that helps regulate wakefulness and REM sleep. For depression with this condition you feel sad or down a lot of the time. They often also have trouble working or doing everyday tasks.There are many different tests, but you might not need any. You can do a sleep study with your doctor. For this test you spend the night in a sleep lab at a hospital.You are hooked up to different machines that monitor your heart rate, breathing, and other body functions. The result of the test tells us if you have a sleep disorder. Do you smoke narcotics or drink alcohol? Beside Lexapro do you take any other medicine?
I hope that I can help you, and please let me know if you have any clarification or question about that, and I would be welcome to discuss it with you further. I Hope your mother has good health.
Best regards,
Dr. Heang Chan Raksmey, General and Family Physician
The cause of hypersomnia are numerous
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question Kevinmarley. Hope I can be of help for you today. Excessive sleepiness can be a sign of several different medical issues.
For adult sleep guidelines we allow 7 to 9 hours. You sleep for 12 to 36 hours and sleep 95 % of the time that is so long sleeping. Long sleeping or oversleeping called hypersomnia. The cause of hypersomnia are numerous, and multiple factors may contribute to any one patient. Some of the most common causes of hypersomnia are insufficient sleep, depression, medications, and also from medical and psychiatric disorders. Obstructive sleep apnea is common and treatable but sometimes you dont know yourself, the history of it is known only from someone who can hear you sleeping. Hypersomnias of central origin such as narcolepsy should also be considered but sometimes unknown. Narcolepsy the exact cause is unknown. But narcolepsy can have low levels of the chemical hypocretin. Hypocretin is an important neurochemical in your brain that helps regulate wakefulness and REM sleep. For depression with this condition you feel sad or down a lot of the time. They often also have trouble working or doing everyday tasks.There are many different tests, but you might not need any. You can do a sleep study with your doctor. For this test you spend the night in a sleep lab at a hospital.You are hooked up to different machines that monitor your heart rate, breathing, and other body functions. The result of the test tells us if you have a sleep disorder. Do you smoke narcotics or drink alcohol? Beside Lexapro do you take any other medicine?
I hope that I can help you, and please let me know if you have any clarification or question about that, and I would be welcome to discuss it with you further. I Hope your mother has good health.
Best regards,
Dr. Heang Chan Raksmey, General and Family Physician
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Brief Answer:
The cause of hypersomnia are numerous
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question Kevinmarley. Hope I can be of help for you today. Excessive sleepiness can be a sign of several different medical issues.
For adult sleep guidelines we allow 7 to 9 hours. You sleep for 12 to 36 hours and sleep 95 % of the time that is so long sleeping. Long sleeping or oversleeping called hypersomnia. The cause of hypersomnia are numerous, and multiple factors may contribute to any one patient. Some of the most common causes of hypersomnia are insufficient sleep, depression, medications, and also from medical and psychiatric disorders. Obstructive sleep apnea is common and treatable but sometimes you dont know yourself, the history of it is known only from someone who can hear you sleeping. Hypersomnias of central origin such as narcolepsy should also be considered but sometimes unknown. Narcolepsy the exact cause is unknown. But narcolepsy can have low levels of the chemical hypocretin. Hypocretin is an important neurochemical in your brain that helps regulate wakefulness and REM sleep. For depression with this condition you feel sad or down a lot of the time. They often also have trouble working or doing everyday tasks.There are many different tests, but you might not need any. You can do a sleep study with your doctor. For this test you spend the night in a sleep lab at a hospital.You are hooked up to different machines that monitor your heart rate, breathing, and other body functions. The result of the test tells us if you have a sleep disorder. Do you smoke narcotics or drink alcohol? Beside Lexapro do you take any other medicine?
I hope that I can help you, and please let me know if you have any clarification or question about that, and I would be welcome to discuss it with you further. I Hope your mother has good health.
Best regards,
Dr. Heang Chan Raksmey, General and Family Physician
The cause of hypersomnia are numerous
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question Kevinmarley. Hope I can be of help for you today. Excessive sleepiness can be a sign of several different medical issues.
For adult sleep guidelines we allow 7 to 9 hours. You sleep for 12 to 36 hours and sleep 95 % of the time that is so long sleeping. Long sleeping or oversleeping called hypersomnia. The cause of hypersomnia are numerous, and multiple factors may contribute to any one patient. Some of the most common causes of hypersomnia are insufficient sleep, depression, medications, and also from medical and psychiatric disorders. Obstructive sleep apnea is common and treatable but sometimes you dont know yourself, the history of it is known only from someone who can hear you sleeping. Hypersomnias of central origin such as narcolepsy should also be considered but sometimes unknown. Narcolepsy the exact cause is unknown. But narcolepsy can have low levels of the chemical hypocretin. Hypocretin is an important neurochemical in your brain that helps regulate wakefulness and REM sleep. For depression with this condition you feel sad or down a lot of the time. They often also have trouble working or doing everyday tasks.There are many different tests, but you might not need any. You can do a sleep study with your doctor. For this test you spend the night in a sleep lab at a hospital.You are hooked up to different machines that monitor your heart rate, breathing, and other body functions. The result of the test tells us if you have a sleep disorder. Do you smoke narcotics or drink alcohol? Beside Lexapro do you take any other medicine?
I hope that I can help you, and please let me know if you have any clarification or question about that, and I would be welcome to discuss it with you further. I Hope your mother has good health.
Best regards,
Dr. Heang Chan Raksmey, General and Family Physician
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
I'm wondering what else you can recommend.
I'm taking Fluoxetine Lannaxer 20 milligrams and no, I don't smoke, drink or do drugs.
My two pronged approach however will be to: 1) Do DBS with an effective and proven device over the Internet; and 2) I would like to do Ketamine as that has been proven effective for longstanding cases of depression.
You mentioned hypocretin as a chemical I might be insufficient in. I truly think there are other chemicals that create lethargy in the body when someone becomes severely depressed. I don't think science has discovered those things.
I was going to do a sleep study in Thailand. But it cost a $1000 for one night and the physician seemed more a salesperson than a physician if you know what I mean.
I don't think I have sleep apnea, but of course I've heard most people that have it don't think they have it. But my sleep is deep.
Essentially, I have chronic depression (now severe), hypersomnia, and a mood disorder. Not sure what the prognosis is. It feels these diseases are progressively degenerative.
Any advice?
I feel I would be more okay with this if I lived in Canada, Great Britain or Germany where there is free medical and a safety net. In the US, this has been a lot more a struggle and quite frankly, something I shouldn't have to deal with.
I'm taking Fluoxetine Lannaxer 20 milligrams and no, I don't smoke, drink or do drugs.
My two pronged approach however will be to: 1) Do DBS with an effective and proven device over the Internet; and 2) I would like to do Ketamine as that has been proven effective for longstanding cases of depression.
You mentioned hypocretin as a chemical I might be insufficient in. I truly think there are other chemicals that create lethargy in the body when someone becomes severely depressed. I don't think science has discovered those things.
I was going to do a sleep study in Thailand. But it cost a $1000 for one night and the physician seemed more a salesperson than a physician if you know what I mean.
I don't think I have sleep apnea, but of course I've heard most people that have it don't think they have it. But my sleep is deep.
Essentially, I have chronic depression (now severe), hypersomnia, and a mood disorder. Not sure what the prognosis is. It feels these diseases are progressively degenerative.
Any advice?
I feel I would be more okay with this if I lived in Canada, Great Britain or Germany where there is free medical and a safety net. In the US, this has been a lot more a struggle and quite frankly, something I shouldn't have to deal with.
I'm wondering what else you can recommend.
I'm taking Fluoxetine Lannaxer 20 milligrams and no, I don't smoke, drink or do drugs.
My two pronged approach however will be to: 1) Do DBS with an effective and proven device over the Internet; and 2) I would like to do Ketamine as that has been proven effective for longstanding cases of depression.
You mentioned hypocretin as a chemical I might be insufficient in. I truly think there are other chemicals that create lethargy in the body when someone becomes severely depressed. I don't think science has discovered those things.
I was going to do a sleep study in Thailand. But it cost a $1000 for one night and the physician seemed more a salesperson than a physician if you know what I mean.
I don't think I have sleep apnea, but of course I've heard most people that have it don't think they have it. But my sleep is deep.
Essentially, I have chronic depression (now severe), hypersomnia, and a mood disorder. Not sure what the prognosis is. It feels these diseases are progressively degenerative.
Any advice?
I feel I would be more okay with this if I lived in Canada, Great Britain or Germany where there is free medical and a safety net. In the US, this has been a lot more a struggle and quite frankly, something I shouldn't have to deal with.
I'm taking Fluoxetine Lannaxer 20 milligrams and no, I don't smoke, drink or do drugs.
My two pronged approach however will be to: 1) Do DBS with an effective and proven device over the Internet; and 2) I would like to do Ketamine as that has been proven effective for longstanding cases of depression.
You mentioned hypocretin as a chemical I might be insufficient in. I truly think there are other chemicals that create lethargy in the body when someone becomes severely depressed. I don't think science has discovered those things.
I was going to do a sleep study in Thailand. But it cost a $1000 for one night and the physician seemed more a salesperson than a physician if you know what I mean.
I don't think I have sleep apnea, but of course I've heard most people that have it don't think they have it. But my sleep is deep.
Essentially, I have chronic depression (now severe), hypersomnia, and a mood disorder. Not sure what the prognosis is. It feels these diseases are progressively degenerative.
Any advice?
I feel I would be more okay with this if I lived in Canada, Great Britain or Germany where there is free medical and a safety net. In the US, this has been a lot more a struggle and quite frankly, something I shouldn't have to deal with.
Brief Answer:
Normally we do not recommend ketamine for depression disorder.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Normally we do not recommend ketamine for depression disorder.
And I think that you have narcolepsy because people with narcolepsy usually have very sleepy in the daytime and sometimes fall asleep suddenly during normal activities. You can try to talk to your doctor if you can switch to a different medicine if you are not better from the old medicine. Yes depression can cause you hypersomnia and the mechanism can be from narcolepsy. Hypocretin deficiency could be a contributing factor in this condition.The sleep study is very important in your case. You may have abnormal sleep patterns during naps and at night if you have narcolepsy.
There are some recommendation for your to try:
Keep a regular sleep schedule. Make sure you get a good and deep sleep at night. Avoid something that can make you more sleepy. There are medicines used to help you to stay awake, but that medicine sometimes causes you high blood pressure, decreased appetite and other problems.
You should see a counselor regularly, eat healthy food and exercise.
Hope I have answered your query. If you do not need any clarifications, you can close the discussion and rate the answer. Wish you have good health. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Best regards,
Dr. Heang Chan Raksmey, General and Family Physician
Normally we do not recommend ketamine for depression disorder.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Normally we do not recommend ketamine for depression disorder.
And I think that you have narcolepsy because people with narcolepsy usually have very sleepy in the daytime and sometimes fall asleep suddenly during normal activities. You can try to talk to your doctor if you can switch to a different medicine if you are not better from the old medicine. Yes depression can cause you hypersomnia and the mechanism can be from narcolepsy. Hypocretin deficiency could be a contributing factor in this condition.The sleep study is very important in your case. You may have abnormal sleep patterns during naps and at night if you have narcolepsy.
There are some recommendation for your to try:
Keep a regular sleep schedule. Make sure you get a good and deep sleep at night. Avoid something that can make you more sleepy. There are medicines used to help you to stay awake, but that medicine sometimes causes you high blood pressure, decreased appetite and other problems.
You should see a counselor regularly, eat healthy food and exercise.
Hope I have answered your query. If you do not need any clarifications, you can close the discussion and rate the answer. Wish you have good health. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Best regards,
Dr. Heang Chan Raksmey, General and Family Physician
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Nagamani Ng
Brief Answer:
Normally we do not recommend ketamine for depression disorder.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Normally we do not recommend ketamine for depression disorder.
And I think that you have narcolepsy because people with narcolepsy usually have very sleepy in the daytime and sometimes fall asleep suddenly during normal activities. You can try to talk to your doctor if you can switch to a different medicine if you are not better from the old medicine. Yes depression can cause you hypersomnia and the mechanism can be from narcolepsy. Hypocretin deficiency could be a contributing factor in this condition.The sleep study is very important in your case. You may have abnormal sleep patterns during naps and at night if you have narcolepsy.
There are some recommendation for your to try:
Keep a regular sleep schedule. Make sure you get a good and deep sleep at night. Avoid something that can make you more sleepy. There are medicines used to help you to stay awake, but that medicine sometimes causes you high blood pressure, decreased appetite and other problems.
You should see a counselor regularly, eat healthy food and exercise.
Hope I have answered your query. If you do not need any clarifications, you can close the discussion and rate the answer. Wish you have good health. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Best regards,
Dr. Heang Chan Raksmey, General and Family Physician
Normally we do not recommend ketamine for depression disorder.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Normally we do not recommend ketamine for depression disorder.
And I think that you have narcolepsy because people with narcolepsy usually have very sleepy in the daytime and sometimes fall asleep suddenly during normal activities. You can try to talk to your doctor if you can switch to a different medicine if you are not better from the old medicine. Yes depression can cause you hypersomnia and the mechanism can be from narcolepsy. Hypocretin deficiency could be a contributing factor in this condition.The sleep study is very important in your case. You may have abnormal sleep patterns during naps and at night if you have narcolepsy.
There are some recommendation for your to try:
Keep a regular sleep schedule. Make sure you get a good and deep sleep at night. Avoid something that can make you more sleepy. There are medicines used to help you to stay awake, but that medicine sometimes causes you high blood pressure, decreased appetite and other problems.
You should see a counselor regularly, eat healthy food and exercise.
Hope I have answered your query. If you do not need any clarifications, you can close the discussion and rate the answer. Wish you have good health. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Best regards,
Dr. Heang Chan Raksmey, General and Family Physician
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Nagamani Ng
Answered by
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